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en-usCopyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/24/steam-midweek-madness-portal-2-octodad-dadliest-catch/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/24/steam-midweek-madness-portal-2-octodad-dadliest-catch/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/24/steam-midweek-madness-portal-2-octodad-dadliest-catch/#commentsPortal 2 and Octodad: Dadliest Catch have a lot in common: Both are born from an independent developer concept; both feature a clueless collection of non-playable characters; and they each explore the absurdity of the human condition. Now, thanks to a Midweek Madness sale, both are available for a discounted price on Steam.

Portal 2 is available for $4.99, 75 percent off its regular price (or $8.74 for two copies for co-op adventures. Octodad: Dadliest Catch can be added to your Steam library for $9.99, 33 percent off (or $13.33 for the game and soundtrack; which, shockingly, does include the Lionel Richie classic "Stuck on You"). Each sale ends at 10am Pacific on Friday, April 25.

In other deal-related news, the newly released music exploration game FRACT OSC is available for 10 percent off ($13.49) until 10am Pacific on April 29.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Fractmacoctodad-2octodad-dadliest-catchpcPortal-2SteamSteam-Midweek-MadnessValveYoung-HorsesThu, 24 Apr 2014 03:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/10/first-person-synthesizer-fract-debuts-april-22/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/10/first-person-synthesizer-fract-debuts-april-22/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/10/first-person-synthesizer-fract-debuts-april-22/#comments
Ambient first-person puzzler Fract is gearing up for a PC release later this month via Steam, Good Old Games and the Humble Store, developer Phosfiend Systems announced this week.

In Fract, players build and shape their surroundings by solving puzzles, bringing derelict machinery to life against a backdrop of customizable electronic music. Fract's development was backed by Indie Fund, a company that previously supported indie standouts Monaco, Dear Esther and Antichamber.

Fract will be released for Windows, Mac and Linux on April 22. Pre-orders are available now at a 10 percent discount.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fractindieindie-fundlinuxmacpcphosfiend-systemsrelease-dateThu, 10 Apr 2014 18:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/12/explore-and-create-music-in-the-tron-like-world-of-fract-out-ne/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/12/explore-and-create-music-in-the-tron-like-world-of-fract-out-ne/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/12/explore-and-create-music-in-the-tron-like-world-of-fract-out-ne/#comments
Synaestheisa is a condition in which you experience one sense like sound through another pathway like sight, and it's a growing concept in video games, particularly through the art of visualizing music. More recent indie games like Audiosurf and Sound Shapes carry on the groundwork laid by Dreamcast/PS2 classic Rez, while larger projects like Harmonix's newly unveiled Chroma show there's plenty left to explore for synaesthesia and gaming.

Exploring music is exactly what you do in Fract, the Indie Fund-backed and IGF Best Student Game winner that's coming to Steam, GOG and the Humble Store next month. Developed by Montreal-based three-man team Phosfiend Systems, Fract is based around a psychedelic, boldly colored world - inspired by the movie Tron - that is in essence one big synthesizer. Players can create and manipulate music and sound by exploring the world and solving the puzzles they find there,

You can even save and export the music you create in Fract, so brace yourself for some amazing Joystiq jams when the game hits Windows PC and Mac in April, priced at $15.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fractfract-oscGOGhumble-storemacpcPhosfiend-systemsrelease-datesteamWed, 12 Mar 2014 13:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/02/indie-fund-backs-synth-based-puzzler-fract-osc-out-this-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/02/indie-fund-backs-synth-based-puzzler-fract-osc-out-this-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/02/indie-fund-backs-synth-based-puzzler-fract-osc-out-this-year/#commentsIndie Fund has put its faith and money behind Fract OSC, the beautiful and abstract game about puzzle-solving with synthesizers and electronic music, developed by Phosfiend Systems. Fract OSC features an open world like Myst and broken-down, lit-up graphics inspired by Tron, combined into puzzles that give players real-time control of synthesized sounds.

Fract OSC started as a student project, picking up the IGF award for Best Student Game in 2011 and grabbing an Honorable Mention in IGF 2013 for Excellence in Audio. With Indie Fund's investment, Fract OSC should be out this year on Steam for PC and Mac.